As greek, Michael Davie makes genre-fluid pop music that feels fresh and timeless all at once—the result of a self-taught polymath that exudes creative spirit and sonic adventurousness. After a series of increasingly buzzy releases as well as a growing CV of production work for other artists—Davie’s forthcoming EP as greek is a sharp left turn that anyone who’s caught him on the road in recent years will immediately appreciate. The four songs collected on DANCE BREAK are, as their title suggests, body-moving fare that’s catchy as hell while retaining the irresistible charm that Davie’s music has possessed thus far.
DANCE BREAK marks the latest evolution in the self-taught Davie’s increasingly impressive career. Hailing from Martinsville, Virginia, Davie’s musical journey started via developing an extensive musical knowledge at an early age through the YouTube app on a Kindle Fire—as encounters with classic artists like the Beatles and Aretha Franklin gave way to discovering formative influences like Steve Lacy and Mac DeMarco: “The DIY nature of those artists gave me hope as far as what I was able to achieve,” he recalls.
After witnessing his high school friends make beats on FL Studio, Davie began producing music on his own, recording the results straight to iMovie and posting the videos on YouTube. Eventually, he started adding more of his own vocals into the instrumental creations, which led to greek’s smooth and soulful 2022 debut EXTC. “It was the culmination of all of the years where I’d been working to figure out how to actually make music professionally,” Davie says, explaining that the project came together after moving to Los Angeles as he continued his musical self-education. “I really learned all of the elements of music from scratch—I was born from YouTube University—and EXTC was the result of me really focusing on what I was trying to do with music and who I was as an artist.”
2024’s textured and luxurious Accelerator was born out of him pushing past expectations he felt after EXTC, while last year’s Cedar’s Tape found Davie expanding the greek sound in new, extroverted ways: “It was a response to my establishing more of a live presence,” he explains. “I’ve grown a lot as a performer, but I used to be so scared about the idea of playing more instruments onstage. With Cedar’s Tape, I stopped being a baby and pushed myself into getting a bit more involved in my stage show.”
Along with producing for artists like JID, Ty Dolla Sign, Alex Banin, Sofaygo, and Weston Estate, Davie has continued to grow the greek fanbase via extensive touring and engaging with his fans on a grassroots level: “After every show, I’ll sit and chat with fans, which is important as an artist at this stage. It’s a cool time to be able to chat with people and understand where they’re coming from. It’s an experience that’s defined my work.” And his hands-on approach has extended to his streak of fully independent releases, which includes the forthcoming DANCE BREAK EP.
A fully-realized new sound for greek that came together in a burst of inspiration, DANCE BREAK directly draws from the energy that Davie felt after finishing a run of touring earlier this year: “I’ve been making music all year for fun, and I’ve been in a bit of a dancing mood,” he says. “I wanted to put out something that felt indicative of the mood of the live show while also gesturing towards my next direction.” Adding to DANCE BREAK’s full-bodied sound—which equally recalls the pulse of house music, French touch’s sugary loops, and the plush sounds of funk—was producer Charley Damski (Sharon Van Etten, X Ambassadors and engineer Josh Block (White Denim, Leon Bridges), marking the first time that Davie worked on greek material with other studio pros.
“I was struggling to finish these songs, so I brought them to Charley’s studio and it ended up paying off,” Davie says. “I’ve been a bit stubborn over the years with mixing, so I’m very happy I took the opportunity to work with professionals, because it took these songs over the top in a way that I hadn’t imagined.” And the low-slung groove of first single “Hold Me,” which Davie compares it to David Bowie’s “Fame,” is a perfect example of how that extra effort paid off. “It came to me in a dream, and I figured it out in a moment—but I sat with it for months trying to figure out how to complete it,” he says while explaining how the song came together. “Ultimately, I decided to make the lyrics in the song feel the same way the beat does, and I tried to immerse myself in that idea when I was writing it.”
Overall, the DANCE BREAK EP represents what Davie refers to as a “humongous transitional period” when it comes to greek’s future. “Music is a really long, up-and-down journey, and I always want to challenge myself,” he says while reflecting on what’s next. “The reason why I’ve been able to have such a deeply ingrained relationship with music is because I’ve allotted so much time for understanding my vision. I want to immerse myself in what I’m trying to do with this next project, and allowing myself that time is going to pay off tremendously.”
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